Among other things, Cari is a jewelry crafter and her son, Nate, has type 1 diabetes. Cherise was looking for something last November to commemorate World Diabetes Day. The two brainstormed and voilà! The necklace was born.

I remember Rachel being on the hunt for something like this long ago. She caught wind of it and got her hands on one.

I must have seen a tweet of Cari’s and ordered my own.

I love it. It is both beautiful and meaningful. The World Diabetes DayBlue Circle has always been the diabetes awareness symbol to which I most relate. You can read about its meaning here.

I cannot wear this necklace without someone asking me about it. Often it is someone who already knows Caleb, but I’ve also struck up conversations with strangers at the bank and grocery store (that’s the exciting life I lead). They first notice its beauty and then get an appreciation for its symbolism. It has the power to spread awareness.

My son was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes in 2008 at age 8. We have no history of Diabetes in our family at all. It’s been a struggle and a learning experience, but it has made us all stronger. A cure for Diabetes can be within our reach, and I tell my son all the time, he may see a cure in his lifetime. I am doing my part to promote awareness. All proceeds from my Diabetes Awareness Jewelry will be donated to JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Help us find a cure and wear your jewelry proudly!!

I caution you, you might not be able to stop at just the one piece. She has an Etsy shop full of beautiful non-awareness jewelry too. I have purchased several items and wear them proudly. I also crossed many teacher gifts off my list at the end of the school year thanks to Cari’s creations. The pieces are well made and her service is impeccable.

Cari did not ask me to post about this. I am getting nothing in return other than the chance to share my joy in finding such a great piece of jewelry that allows me to show my pride in my son and the diabetes community. Given the fact that the four of us are so happy with our necklaces, I thought there might be others out there who would be interested in having one of their own!

UPDATE TO POST: Due to demand, you may see the item listed as “SOLD” when you click on the link. Do not fret! You can either check back to see if it is relisted, or contact Cari directly cjnack@yahoo.com to find out timing of availability. Thanks for your interest folks! I would definitely love to hear from everyone who gets one. Perhaps we can start a photo collage!

While I totally want one- I just ordered one (and a bracelet) as gifts for the two women at Liam’s preschool who have taken on his care while he has been there the last (almost) two years. You are now personally responsible for removing at least 10% of my stress today! Thank you for sharing, these will be perfect!

You can get one! If you want more than one, Cari will make them. You can email her to find out when it will be relisted. If it looks like it’s “SOLD”, it’s only because she hasn’t had a chance to relist it yet but she will! I promise! Her son is so very excited at the response because of the awareness that is being spread. So am I! 🙂